•Madi
Rising Afrobeats star Qing Madi has likened music earnings to “drug money”, highlighting the vast financial gains possible in the industry.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, she shared that a single show can earn an artist what an average Nigerian might make in a year, emphasising music’s lucrative nature.
“Music money is not normal; it is like drug money. I don’t think people know how… And I’m not the person who would buy stuff and put it on the media because I do think that that would change the narrative of what I am to the media. And I don’t like people looking at me and seeing money. But I am rich.
“The average Nigerian works 9-5 and earns maybe N500,000 at the end of the month, while as an artist, you do one show and get N20 million. Music money is huge,” she said.
The 19-year-old singer, whose real name is Chimamanda Pearl Chukwuma, added that music has given her financial freedom, but she chooses not to flaunt her wealth online to avoid defining herself by her riches. “I don’t want people looking at me and seeing money,” she said.
Qing Madi also stated that Nigerians’ love for music stems from limited access to therapy, making music an outlet for escapism and emotional release.
